EMMYS: Comedy and Drama Series Have Become Primetime’s Great Divide

Nominations released this morning for the 63rd Primetime Emmys continued to demonstrate the intriguing trend of broadcast dominating comedy series and cable the drama side, to the point of near-exclusivity. No cable series broke through in the Outstanding Comedy race. The last time that happened was 2005, which coincidentally was also the most recent year that all four major nets, NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox, each landed at least one best comedy series nom apiece, as they did this time. (That last fact is sure to please the Big 4, which just signed a new eight-year, $66 million deal with the TV Academy to carry the Primetime Emmy Awards through 2018.) Last year, HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and Showtime’s Nurse Jackie both cracked the list, while in ’09 the group included HBO’s Entourage and Flight of the Conchords as well as Showtime’s Weeds. This time, however, it was a broadcast sweep with NBC’s 30 Rock and The Office, first-timers Parks and Recreationand The Big Bang Theoryas well as Fox’s Gleeand ABC’s defending champ Modern Family.

In the Outstanding Drama Series race, meanwhile, the superiority was almost equally absolute on the cable/satellite side, with HBO freshmen Boardwalk Empireand Game of Thronesand Emmy maiden Friday Night Lightsfrom DirecTV joining AMC’s three-time champ Mad Menand Showtime’s annual nominee Dexter to give non-broadcast hours five of the six slots. Only CBS’ The Good Wifeprevented a clean sweep. It’s the first time that broadcast has claimed just a single nominee in any major Emmy series category. (Last year, The Good Wife was joined in the category by departing ABC series Lost.)

The acting races saw a similar dominance of broadcast in the comedy categories and cable/satellite in drama, though not quite as unanimous. Performers on cable shows claimed eight of the 12 slots for lead drama actor/actress as well as eight of the 12 for supporting drama actor/actress. Broadcast series regulars also held down eight of the 12 lead comedy actor/actress spots and a whopping 11 of the 12 for supporting actor and actress (including all six for supporting comedy actor).